International Relations, B.A.

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Minimum hours required for degree: 120

Minimum hours required for major: 33 credit hours - 12-hour introductory core with 9 hours of political science courses and 3 hours in economics, 18 hours in a selected International Relations concentration that includes political science and other courses in the social sciences, humanities, and arts, or in business, depending on the specific concentration, and a 3-credit-hour political science senior seminar as a capstone course.

Language Competence: Students must demonstrate mastery in a major world language of relevance to their concentration comparable to that obtained from two years of college-level instruction. Competence may be demonstrated by examination.

Admission to Major: No requirement other than good academic standing in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. Double majors are encouraged.

Cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher in the major is required.

Major-Field Requirements

The curriculum for the International Relations major consists of an introductory core, a concentration, and a capstone course. The following courses represent the introductory core are required of all International Relations majors:

Introductory Core:

The Concentration:

(18 hours all at the 300-level or above, except for either PSC 221 - Comparative Politics or PSC 274 - Introduction to the Middle East, but not both.)

The purpose of the concentration is to enable students to pursue an in-depth study of one area of international studies corresponding to their intellectual and/or career interests. Courses in the concentration may be chosen from among a variety of courses in different disciplines of arts and sciences and from the College of Business. All courses selected for the concentration must be approved by the student’s adviser or by the director of the International Relations major. Students can select from among the three concentrations listed below, or may create their own concentration with the approval of their adviser. Courses listed below for each concentration are indicative and may not all be available as needed. Students should see their advisers to work out their specific set of concentration courses.

An internship or study abroad program may be applied to any of these concentrations.

1. Concentration in International Business and Economics:

Every student needs to achieve and demonstrate the equivalent of a two-year academic competence in a language relevant to the area of International Business the student is concentrating in. International Relations majors in this concentration are encouraged to focus on either a Marketing (MKT) track or a Management and Labor Relations (MLR) track.

Marketing (MKT) Track:

Management (MGT) Track:

Note(s):

Students will not be allowed to submit both MKT 301 and MGT 301 for the concentration. If they take both, one will count for major credit and they may submit a mixture of MKT and MGT courses toward their concentration.

2. Global Studies

Students must demonstrate mastery in a world language of relevance to their concentration comparable to that obtained from two years of college-level instruction. Competence may be demonstrated by examination.

ECN 482 - International Trade
PSC 321 - Political Violence
PSC 327 - Politics of Peaceful World Change
PSC 331 - United States Foreign Policy
PSC 334 - Causes of War
PSC 501 - IR Theory*
PSC 503 - Political Risk*
PSC 511- Non-state Actors*
PSC 512 - Global Governance*
PSC 406 - International Relations Internship
SOC 320 - Globalization

Note(s):

*Requires instructor’s permission
Students in the 4+1 program can share up to 12-credits of 500-level courses between the Undergraduate and Graduate programs
Students not in the 4+1 program who are interested in taking 500-level courses should consult with the department

3. Area Studies Concentration

No more than one course in the disciplines of Art, Religion, and Communications may be applied toward the concentration.

Cannot take both PSC 221 and PSC 274.

Study-Abroad

The International Relations program encourages all students to include a study abroad experience as part of their curriculum if it is at all practical. We are willing to accept any CSU-approved study abroad courses to fulfill concentration requirements, provided that the subject matter is in the Social Sciences or Humanities (or, in the case of the international business concentration, Business Administration), and is directly relevant to the region represented by the concentration.

Capstone Course

All International Relations majors will be required to conclude their major with a 3-credit-hour capstone course. The capstone experience in International Relations is to complete a political science senior seminar. To take a senior seminar the International Relations major must have completed the Introductory Core and at least two 300- or 400-level courses in their concentration, or permission of the instructor.

Transitional Policy

The International Relations major frequently changes when new courses are added or when old courses are dropped, or when the department revises the curriculum. Any student has the right to complete the requirements as they existed at the time the student declared his/her IR major, or may decide to adhere to subsequent requirements. Copies of previous IR major requirements are available from the Department of Political Science.

International Relations and MAGI 4+1 Accelerated Program

For additional information, please contact: Department of Political Science, Rhodes Tower (RT) 1744, 216-687-4541

Purpose

The purpose of this program is to allow undergraduates to complete an undergraduate and graduate degree in the equivalent of five years of study (depending on course load).

Undergraduate Students

Before entering the program, undergraduate students must complete 90 credits, including:

Transitional Students (Senior Status)

The transitional year (senior status) includes the following four courses:

PSC 421 - Seminar in Comparative Politics
OR
PSC 422 - Seminar in International Relations
PSC 501 - Applied Theories of International Relations
PSC 502 - Seminar on International Political Economy
PSC 503 - Political Risks, Early Warning and Conflict Management

Admissions Criteria

Admissions Criteria for the 4+1 program include an overall GPA of 3.25, with at least a 3.5 GPA in course work counting toward the International Relations major.